There’s an Airbnb for that!

No matter what you’re travelling for, and how you want to stay, the sharing economy has a platform just right for you

From homes to stay in for free, to those that are child-proofed and stocked with diapers and toys, and even more homes with concierge services at your fingertips – a host of specialist home rental companies are upping the Airbnb game. Here’s our pick of e-brokers to try out on your next vacation:

You seek a safe gay-cation

You’re a gay man and you are looking for a gay/gay-friendly home to stay in on your next vacation to Istanbul, or New York, or Mumbai. Say hello to MisterBnB to the newest entrant on the rainbow real estate map. Go online (there’s an app, too), browse through homes and rooms in homes and book. The site is similar to Airbnb in the way it works, which means you pay only to book and that too directly to the person you’re renting from. And, just like Airbnb, it also offers mini-guides to cities and their key neighbourhoods – where to shop, where to eat and drink and where to party. Home Around the World, on the other hand, is a more secure, membership-based social network and is open to LGBT travellers of all leanings – lesbian, transgender, queer. It offers members who aren’t able to swap homes, the chance to rent a room in a gay or gay-friendly person’s home in another part of the world (Europe, UK and USA) and those who are able to swap homes, do so for free.

You’re travelling with kids

Toys, diapers, extra feeding bottles, books and games, strollers, baby carriers, clothes, many extra pairs of clothes, wash clothes, shoes and security blankets – there’s always excess baggage when you’re a family travelling with young ones. With Kid & Coe you can leave much of this at home and take along the bare essentials. Putting kids first, homes listed on the site mostly belong to families with kids and come child-ready, with a number of things you (and your kids) may need – toys, gadgets, books, highchairs, trusted nanny numbers. Kid & Coe helps you pick destinations based on what your children might enjoy, from villas in the countryside with large gardens to play in to beachside homes with plenty of soft sand to build castles in and urban flats, that make them feel secure even in an unfamiliar environment. Others, like Tripadvisor-owned FlipKey and HomeAway also offer such homes and destination planning tools. But they’re are not quite as dedicated to kiddie-lovin’. They do have their strengths – Flipkey has a strong presence in North and Central America, while Singapore-based HomeAway specialises on finding you places to stay in the Asia-Pacific region, including one in the Andamans.

You want an Airbnb with hotel-like services

South America-focussed Oasis Collections offers not just five star-style concierge services, maids and drivers but also gym memberships, big discounts at premium stores and restaurants and access to local members-only clubs such as The Clubhouse in Buenos Aires and Clubhouse Rio in Rio de Janeiro. You needn’t sweat your fingers by swiping from fabulous- looking home to gorgeous-blue swimming pool, just call and have one of their “reservations specialists” do it for you. They’ll haggle on a value-for-money deal, which could include a bar stocked with single malts and fridge full of organic produce, all complimentary of course, and mail you the deets.

You want to stay for free

Yes, you can do that, especially if you are willing to allow others to stay in your house for free. It’s called home swapping and you’ve probably heard of it, too. Sites like Guesttoguest, Love Home Swap and Nightswapping are creating membership-based social networks where travellers can search and find locals who are willing to host them. The hosts in turn get points and can use them to stay with other members. Each network has its own ecosystem and areas of presence, but most are restricted to Europe and North America. Some networks, like LHS, charge members a fee to maintain the network. Others, like Nightswapping, require the host and guest to enter a contract to keep the exchange black and white. Ultimately, the aim of these sites and all other airbnb lookalikes is to help you travel more, for less.